A new NHS kit bag launched in Northwick Park Hospital which saves valuable hours transferring critically ill patients has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Dr Melissa Drayfield helped launch the new NHS Patient Transfer Bag in Northwick Park and other NW London hospitalsDr Melissa Drayfield helped launch the new NHS Patient Transfer Bag in Northwick Park and other NW London hospitals (Image: Archant)

The Patient Transfer Bag will be presented to a panel of judges in April for the HSJ Patient Safety Award next month with the winners announced at a special ceremony on July 4.

The NHS North West London Critical Care Network (NWLCCN) rolled out the new kit bag across all NW London hospitals in December.

It enables the smooth transfer of patients between wards, when patients go for scans and from one hospital to another for clinical need. and can save up to eight hours a week.

The equipment, designed by doctors and nurses, includes a unique storage layout with clear plastic pockets for each item, which allows quick checks without unpacking the bag, quick access to essential items needed for the patient, a special side-pouch called the ‘patient pocket’ to allow for extra items unique to each patient to be packed, brightly-coloured internal pouches with bold-print labels so everything can be found quickly in an emergency and a super-strength reversible strap, making the bag easy to attach to a bed or trolley while in use.

Clinical staff members were asked what equipment they need to provide safe management when carrying out patient transfers, and how often each item was typically used and provided with training on how to use it.

Dr Melissa Dransfield, from the Critical Care Network, said: “As a doctor, I move between hospitals every three to six months. Before the rollout of the Patient Transfer Bag, there were 16 different bag designs, over 13 different hospitals. They used to be so heavy as well – they were like suitcases. This bag is completely standardised – and the patient pocket means that there’s always space for any specific drugs or equipment too. It’s so easy to use, whether you’re transferring a patient to or from A&E, into critical care, or into surgery.”

Catherine Forsythe, Practice Educator and Nurse at the Royal Marsden Hospital’s Critical Care Unit, said: “Before the Patient Transfer Bag, it took me 20 minutes to make sure that all the right equipment was packed whenever we did our regular checks.

“When you’re working in critical care, you need everyone to work quickly and calmly. One of the simple yet brilliant things you notice when you’re using this bag is how visual it is; all the equipment is set out in the way you would use them.

“The design concept is so logical. You can tell clinicians have had genuine input right from the start.”